Mississippi Dreamers’ Muralshop

2022 Mid-Career Project Grantee | $10,000

Mississippi Dreamers’ Muralshop

This mural workshop concept is inspired by the incredible diversity of Minneapolis and Saint Paul’s communities. Mississippi Dreamer’s Muralshop will teach six free classes covering techniques that lead to community based urban artwork and what it means to truly work with communities in ways that empower and revitalize their cultures. The goal is to paint a large-scale mural that represents all the people blessed by this beautiful river and its environment.

Tomas Araya is a multimedia artist whose work centers around storytelling, decolonization, nature & environmental awareness. Making artwork that praises mother nature and indigenous traditions in a powerful but humbling, mystical way has always been their artistic dream. Araya’s main medium is visual arts: murals, sculptures, watercolors, comic books and digital illustrations such as logos, interior and architectural designs. They are a proud descendant of the Diaguita tribes, far down south in the valleys of the Andes Mountains. The artist started their artistic career in Chile, the country where they were born, with watercolor and sculpture exhibitions. Now based in the Twin cities since 2017, they have been part of several public art and community art projects like murals, sculpture installations and community workshops. As a teaching artist Araya believes that when you believe in something, you create it.

The McKnight Foundation generously enables Forecast to provide Professional Development Grants for mid-career artists seeking to expand their work in the field of public art. Forecast mid- and early-career grants are designed to support independent projects, leadership development, professional development, risk-taking, multidisciplinary approaches, and collaborative problem-solving in the field of public art.